Today was the first day of Senior Bowl week where players weighed in at Mobile, Alabama and participated in their first practice. This is the initial step in the scouting process for the offseason and the Bengals have sent down their staff to get firsthand exposure to the impending draftees.

According to multiple reports, former University of Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead had a standout day at practice. Though it's still very early, solid practices and a good showing at the game itself can greatly improve a player's stock in the next couple of months.

Pead's performance today caught the attention of the Bengals scout in attendance, as he spent a good amount of time chatting with Pead after practice was completed.

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I'm not terribly shy about admitting my Ohio State Buckeyes fandom. Nor am I shy about admitting that I like the Bearcats. So the odd combination of being fans of two Ohio teams doesn't apply here. That being said, being happy that Terrelle Pryor isn't returning to Ohio State doesn't even begin to describe my joy. He's a fine athlete, but there were always questions (that turned into frustration) about his accuracy and decision-making. Often his legs bailed the offense out of a long third down conversion -- a situation that he often put the offense in himself.

Terrelle Pryor's lawyer said on Thursday that the quarterback isn't interested in joining the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders, who acquired his negotiating rights earlier this week. That was after the lawyer informed the public that Pryor no longer intends to cooperate with NCAA investigators after leaving Ohio State amid several investigations that he's the primary focus on.

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On Wednesday June 1, we posed the question that if Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor were to enter the NFL's Supplemental Draft, should the Bengals "take a flyer" on him. And yes, according to an NFL source, the Supplemental Draft will happen in "in mid-to-late July" if there's applicants -- though the NFLPA isn't sure about that. As if we expected one side not to counter the other during the NFL lockout.

We actually received a variety of responses to our question. One commenter writes, "in a word, no." Another says, "Never, no way, no how". Another wrote, "Can we have a big hell no!" Other responses included "H to the No", "We don't need another tight end", "We don't need another QB project" -- not that we've actually had one since Carson Palmer; unless you include Andy Dalton. So by a variety of responses, we actually meant a resounding "no".

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Amid allegations that he failed to notify university officials of "emails he received about some of his players receiving improper benefits", Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel has resigned. Tressel said in a statement Monday morning.

"After meeting with university officials, we agreed that it is in the best interest of Ohio State that I resign as head football coach. The appreciation that Ellen and I have for the Buckeye Nation is immeasurable."

Aaron Kniffin, a used car salesman at two dealerships in Columbus, is in the middle of another possible scandal in which he made "at least 50 sales" to "dozens of OSU athletes" that violates NCAA rules. Players such as Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Solomon Thomas and Dan Herron, players already suspended during the first five games in 2011, reportedly made purchases at one of those dealerships.

In a letter sent to university trustees on Monday, President E. Gordon Gee wrote:

"As you all know, I appointed a special committee to analyze and provide advice to me regarding issues attendant to our football program," the letter said, according to The Columbus Dispatch, which first reported Tressel's decision. "In consultation with the senior leadership of the University and the senior leadership of the Board, I have been actively reviewing the matter and have accepted Coach Tressel's resignation.

We know this has nothing to do with the Bengals, but Bengals nation has many Buckeye followers and alumni. In ten seasons with the Buckeyes, Tressel finishes his Ohio State reign with a 106-22 record, a national championship and seven Big Ten titles.

Uh oh. The Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach, Jim Tressel, could be in serious trouble. Five tOSU players, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor and running back Dan Herron, violated NCAA eligibility rules by selling their own property to the owner of a tattoo parlor in Columbus. According to Yahoo! Sports, Edward Rife, the owner of the tattoo parlor, was targeted during a federal probe that forced federal investigators to contact the school because Rife was in possession of "memorabilia that previously belonged to five players." The local United States Attorney's office contacted the school in December about the situation. The school was adament that the team first heard of the infractions in December.

However, Jim Tressel may have known about it "as early as April 2010, according to a source."

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Here's a little break from all that "football" talk Josh and crew have been inundating us with ;)...

The rookie linebacker we love to love has given me another reason to root for him. This picture was taken at Saturday's Kentucky/Miami of Ohio football game, played at Paul Brown Stadium. Now obviously, Maualuga is a USC Trojan through-and-through, but the fact he even acknowledges UK gives me pause, as well as a reason to celebrate.  Of course, he was probably just giving the RedHawk fans a hard time.

A big hat-tip to KentuckySportsRadio.com for the find (via KentuckySports.com) -- Oh, according to the comments, Rey enjoyed the game.  A lot:

I was in the Miami section. He came over in a Miami jersey and cheered for Miami, then took it off to reveal the UK shirt. He drank copious amounts of alcohol with both parties. 

If poster Glorious is being forthright, it sounds like Maualuga would be a blast to hang out with.  Oh yeah, Carson Palmer was there, too.

Lost in all this talk of free agency was that on Tuesday, Baylor hosted their Pro Day workouts, which featured arguably the best offensive tackle in the upcoming NFL Draft. For the most part, Smith only "did position drills but stood on his combine numbers for the other drills." Paul Alexander, Bengals offensive line coach, was one of 15 teams to send a representative.

Based on needs, the lack of offensive production and the expected release of Levi Jones after the draft (provided they draft an offensive tackle), the Bengals are considered to be heavy favorites for one of the four offensive tackle prospects; Michael Oher, Andre Smith and Eugene Monroe. Since Jason Smith is the most likely to go as the first offensive tackle, many are figuring that Monroe will fall to the Bengals.

For a complete list of Pro Day workouts, click here.

The Bearcats own the Big East Title, expecting an Orange Bowl date.

It really wasn't University of Cincinnati's 30-10 win over Syracuse that won the Bearcats a share of the Big East Title and a BCS bid; we can thank Pitt's 19-15 win over West Virginia for that. Beating Syracuse Saturday meant that Cincinnati, for the first time since winning the Missouri Valley Conference in 1964, have won a conference title outright. The last time they've won a share of any title, was the 2002 Conference USA title.

While the Bearcats prepare for Hawaii this Friday (hey, we clinched a BCS berth, let's go to the beach), rumor is circulating that Brian Kelly is leaving for Notre Dame, as per unnamed sources in Cincinnati. It's hardly a secret that Charlie Weis' job is in serious doubt, but rumor suggests a deal with Kelly is already in place, waiting on Notre Dame to buy out Weis. We're having a great run in college football right now, and Kelly leaving would seriously bum us out; especially if he leaves before the Bearcats play their BCS game.

Pike completed 28 of 44 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns... Bearcats showed off at the recruits at the game... Mayor Mark Mallory recognized Bearcats football... the Bearcats is Ohio's only BCS team...

The Bearcats finished the game with 18 more first downs than the Orange, converting 50% of third downs (7/14), and 412 yards total, while Syracuse picked up only eight first downs, converted only three of 14 third downs and recorded only 211 yards total (a quarter of those yards picked up on a 58-yard run by Tony Fiammetta). No offense to Orange fans, but Syracuse's offense was dreadful. Quarterback Cameron Dantley completed a five-yard pass with 6:47 left in the first quarter. A combination of bad passes, awesome Bearcats pass defense (and pass rush), or dropped passes, Dantley didn't complete a pass until 11:14 left in the game.